Sunday, December 16, 2012

Gagnidze; anticipating HANSEL @ GSA

Gagnidze was good. He threw away "...tu sei la schiava" on Sprechgesang, but he's hardly the first Amonasro - the first *good* one, I mean - to do so.

So what am I doing now? I'm in the lobby of the University Theater at Old Dominion U., Norfolk, Va., waiting for HANSEL AND GRETEL in a production by the Governor's School for the Arts.

The Vocal Arts Dept of this high-school program has such depth of young talent, they're putting on three performances of HANSEL with three different casts. I make that 24 capable teenage voices. And that's just the Vocal Arts Dept: the Musical Theater Dept is separate.

I'm at the closing performance. I could have gone to them all, I suppose, but I still have law exams to grade, so I've chosen one Diva dei Tutte Dive at GSA - Malia Diaz - who's singing the Dew Fairy this afternoon. But I've also heard great things from Anyée Farrar, and I understand she kicked it as Gretel on opening night.

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BOX FIVE -- the opera blog of a boy raised at the Met and now grown up and teaching things. If you're an older opera fan you may remember my dad, Alan C. Wagner, of "Living Opera" and many a Met Opera Quiz and Guild Lecture.